Aug
20
Torn ACL for Delmas
The Dolphins lost an important part of their defense during Wednesday’s joint practice with Carolina, losing safety Louis Delmas, according to Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post.
Delmas tore his ACL, the same injury that ended his season prematurely in 2014. It was also the second ACL injury suffered during the practice, as the Panthers lost wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to the same injury earlier in the session.
Delmas’ injury opens up a new battle for his position, one that the now-departed Jimmy Wilson filled last year. Per Abramson, Walt Aikens, a fourth-round pick from 2014, will start in Delmas’ place on Saturday.
Delmas isn’t the only player who is vying for the top spot, as Michael Thomas should get plenty of snaps and opportunities to compete as well.
Miami won’t just miss Delmas’ play on the field but also his leadership. He is well-liked by his teammates, with wide receiver Rishard Matthews calling Delmas “one of the best leaders or he is the best leader on our team.” Matthews told Abramson: “He brings a lot of excitement to the game. I think everybody will tell you he’s just an exciting player to be around—from the top of the organization, the bottom of the organization, everybody says the same thing about him. It’s very, very, very, very unfortunate.”
The play on the field can be replaced, but it takes a lot to replace Delmas’ leadership. It will be up to Brent Grimes and Reshad Jones to provide that veteran leadership in the secondary in the wake of Delmas’ injury.
Parker Activated from PUP List
Delmas’ injury overshadowed the good injury news—the activation of first-round pick DeVante Parker from the PUP list.
Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel reported that Parker was activated on Wednesday, which will allow him to practice in the coming days.
While Parker can practice with the team, it’s still not clear if he will play in any of the remaining preseason games or if he will be ready to go for Week 1 against Washington. It’s a step in the right direction if that is the goal; however, the Dolphins should not rush such an injury, as Parker represents an investment in the future and should be looked at that way.
Guards Shine in First Joint Practice
No position on the Dolphins has received more scrutiny than guard, a position that throughout training camp has been dominated by the defensive line.
That domination by Miami’s defensive line might just be the education needed. After a good performance against Chicago last week, the Dolphins’ guards are winning the trench battle against the Panthers’ defensive line so far in practice.
According to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, Dallas Thomas has looked the best.
Head coach Joe Philbin liked what he saw out of Thomas and the rest of the offensive line, per Beasley: “I thought it looked relatively good.” However, like any good coach should do, he tempered the enthusiasm and pointed out where unit didn’t quite play as well: “I didn’t think our third-down period was as good; there were a couple of blitzes they hit us with. Sean McDermott, who’s a heck of a coach, he was in Philadelphia with Jim Johnson ages ago, and some of that stuff is still good.
“They caught us on a couple.”
Getting caught on a couple is certainly better than the dominance we have seen from Miami’s defensive line against the offensive line. It’s not like the Panthers’ defensive line is filled with scrubs either, as Carolina finished 13th in the league in total sacks.
Game action is always a different story though, and we’ll get a better read on the unit during Saturday’s contest.
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